Speak to yourself the way you would speak to your best friend.

I have a little brother named Ryan.

He is extremely dramatic.

Like, if he’s missing a Lego piece, he’ll flop onto the couch and say, “That’s it. Life is over. I’m never playing with Legos again.”

This is his reaction to almost anything that goes slightly wrong or not his way. I’d be shocked if he doesn’t win an Oscar one day for Best Dramatic Actor. 

Take last Friday.
After school, he stormed into the house, shouted, “No one talk to me. I’m too embarrassed to exist!” then marched into his room and slammed the door.I looked at my mom like, “???” She just sipped her coffee like it was a normal Friday.

Eventually, he came out wrapped in his hooded blanket, looking like a sad burrito.
I said, “What happened?”

He flopped onto the couch and groaned, “I forgot my line in the school play.”
I blinked. “That’s it?”

“I was supposed to say, ‘May I borrow your shovel, kind sir?’ But instead, I said, ‘Can I borrow your… um… bucket?’ I’m NEVER going to be in a play again!” he cried.

I tried not to laugh. Because, yeah, okay, that was kind of funny. It’s not like a super complicated line. But this clearly crushed him.

I said, “So what’d you do next?”He shrugged, “Ran off the stage and hid behind the curtain! What else could I do? Stand there and watch everyone laugh at me? I told Mrs. Rata I’m not trying out for the next play.”

Just then, Dad shouted from the other room that my soccer game was still on for the next day.
I felt a little disappointed. My last game I missed a wide-open shot. My coach told me not to worry.

“Everybody misses shots,” he said. “What matters is how you respond. And that includes what you say to yourself. You can say, ‘I missed, I stink.’ Or you can say, ‘I missed that one. I’ll keep trying and score another time.’”

I hadn't believed my coach at the time. But looking at my brother, I realized coach was right.
"One missed goal doesn't define me as a soccer player," I told him, “Just as one missed line doesn't define you as an actor."

"Whatever," he said.But later that night when I went to brush my teeth, I could hear him talking to himself in the mirror. "You messed up. You're still awesome. Let's nail it next time."
When he left, I looked at myself in the mirror. "Coach was right. And you're an awesome big brother. Score!"

Takeaway:
✅The way you talk to yourself becomes the way you see yourself.
✅Messing up doesn’t mean you’re not smart or talented. It means you’re human and you’re learning.

Try This:
The next time your brain says, “I stink at this,” try looking in a mirror and saying this instead:
“I’m learning.” “I’m growing.” “I’ll get it next time.”
You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to be your own teammate, cheer yourself on and do your very best.

Grab The Full Book Here

What Parents Are Saying 💛

If this story helps your child even a little… imagine what 50 of them could do.

This is just one of 50 stories in My Secret Playbook of Life that teaches kids real-life skills: confidence, emotional control, friendship tools, handling negative thoughts, and so much more.

“Bought this yesterday and it’s exactly what I was looking for! We read the first two stories last night and they are so helpful.” - Avery M

“These stories are great! My 9 y/o asks to read them together every night. Very happy with this purchase!” - Stacy

“We are obsessed with your ebook!!! Thank you. This is such a great resource for our big emotions”- Christian

Grab The Full Book Here